This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing. The creature, named Sharlie — also known as the “Twilight Dragon of Payette Lake” — was first reported in 1920 when workers said they saw a moving log. In 1944, several groups of people claimed they spotted a creature with the head of a dinosaur, pronounced jaws, camel-like humps and skin similar to a shell. “When we see these creatures and tell stories about them, what we're doing is we're saying that the world, as we know it, may not be exactly as straightforward as we think it is,” says folklorist Debra Lattanzi Shutika, an associate professor at George Mason University. In Wisconsin, believers fear the Beast of Bray Road, a dark, hairy, muscular werewolf-like creature with glowing yellow eyes. Then there’s Bigfoot, in Washington state, perhaps the most famous of these mythical figures. Bigfoot is large, hairy and walks on two feet like a human. He’s so famous that he’s appeared in numerous movies and television shows. This Aug. 8, 2019, photo shows a Bigfoot mask on display at Expedition: Bigfoot!, The Sasquatch Museum in Cherry Log, Georgia. Sharlie, Mothman, the Beast of Bray Road and Bigfoot are all examples of the sorts of myths and superstitions that are passed down through the generations, that can provide insight into a culture’s perspective. Another of folklore’s societal uses is that it can function as a warning. FILE — A Mothman statue looks onto Main Street in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Folklore can also be educational. In this case, the lesson is that there could be could be creatures living among us that we haven't yet discovered.